Which is your favorite Maps API and why?

Question

I was looking at Google's, Yahoo's and Microsoft's mapping APIs.

Are there major feature differences? Are there others I should be seriously looking at?

Answer 1

google maps, coz it rocks =)

Answer 2

I really like Google Maps for a number of reasons. It was incredibly easy to learn and came with an abundance of documentation. It also had all of the features that I was looking for in a Map API (from both the end user experience as well as development experience). I even wrote a complete ASP.NET WebControl around the Google Map API, which I've used on a few sites.

Answer 3

Here is a fair comparison, I found. Another is here.

[Edited]

Its worth to look into OpenLayers.

Answer 4

The Google Maps API is definitely a bit easier to use, has better documentation, and a larger support community, but to use it on a website that isn't accessible to the public (intranet or a site that requires users to pay for a login, for example), you have to pay to use the API. I've recently started using OpenLayers for internal projects, and while Google Maps has all the advantages listed above, you can do just about everything Google Maps can do with OpenLayers; it just takes a little more coding. I'm basing my 'easier to use' comment on using the maps to load customer markers dynamically from PHP/MySQL. Google Maps also rolls out bug fixes and improvements pretty regularly.

Answer 5

You may be interested in Mapstraction, as it provides a javascript API allows the differences between the various mapping APIs to be abstracted away into a single API. They have a feature matrix that lists the API functionality possible over 9 mapping providers:

• Google
• Yahoo
• Microsoft
• Openlayers (using openstreetmap data)
• Multimap
• Map24
• MapQuest
• FreeEarth
• OpenSpace

And if you decide later you want to change the mapping provided, I believe you only need to change a few lines of code, rather than rewriting all your API calls.

Answer 6

Open Street Map because it is free, community generated, and without any restrictions or copyrights on the data.

Answer 7

I admit I've not really given this problem much attention, except to compare OpenLayers to Google Maps after i had already chosen google. the small amount of data that is actually available with OpenLayers, and the relatively few controls provided dissuaded me from really trying it.

If there are any actually clear benefits in terms of features or performance over GoogleMaps (besides GoogleEarth) I'm very interested, too.

Now that i'm actually thinking about it, openlayers is probably what i should be using, because my application may need to run even if the internet is not accessible.

Answer 8

Google Maps is the only API that I have used. I have checked out the others and must say that the Google Maps API is probably the most documented API out of all of them. It is extremely easy to setup and add points.

I connect it to a third party IP Geolocation Database, so I don't use the built in geolocation features, but I hear they are easy to use. Using JQuery and the Google Maps API is probably the easiest way to setup a mapping application. In my application PHP generates XML which is asynchronously loaded and parsed by JQuery. The map is updated via JQuery as well.

The documentation provided with the Google Maps API is extremely helpful and will be your best friend while you create your mapping application.

Answer 9

Why not support them all! - Take a look at MapStraction

Answer 10

OpenStreetMap via cloudmade if displaying some marker on pictures just isn't enough for you.

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